1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink supplying system for an ink jet printer, an ink supplying method for an ink jet printer, and an ink jet printer.
2. Background Art
In a conventional ink jet printer, an intermediate ink storing bag (auxiliary tank) is used in an ink passage that connects an ink cartridge (main tank) that stores ink and an ink jet head that ejects the ink and performs recording on a recording medium. This intermediate ink storing bag is provided in order to continue printing with the ink jet head even at the time of replacement of the ink cartridge. The intermediate ink storing bag is made of a flexible bag in order to store a predetermined volume of ink. At the top of the intermediate ink storing bag, for degassing at the time when the ink is filled or replaced, a tube that is arranged upward and has an on-off valve is provided (see, for example, Patent Document JP 2004-203056 A).
During ink filling in starting the ink jet printer, the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the ink jet head through the ink passage and via the intermediate ink storing bag. When the ink is supplied, because the intermediate ink storing bag is made of the flexible bag, the air tends to be accumulated in the inside thereof. Therefore, the air accumulated in the intermediate ink storing bag is exhausted by the on-off valve provided at the top.
However, in the conventional ink jet printer, the tube and the on-off valve as mechanisms for removing the air are attached even during normal use, and hence the ink jet printer is increase in size and complicated. The air removing by the tube provided in the upper part of the intermediate ink storing bag is extremely difficult because the on-off valve is adjusted while states of the air and the ink discharged to the tube are observed.
The present invention is made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide an ink supplying system for an ink jet printer, an ink supplying method for an ink jet printer, and an ink jet printer with which ink supply work in starting to use the ink jet printer is easy and that can be reduced in size.